Catholic Social Teaching and Society

This assignment delves into the core principles of Catholic Social Teaching. It requires students to examine concepts like community, participation, solidarity, and the promotion of peace within a modern societal context. Students will analyze resources from various sources such as American Catholic University, Catholic Charities, and Center for Social Concerns to understand the application of these principles in contemporary issues.

Running head: CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHT
Catholic Social Thought

CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHT 1
Introduction
Catholic social thought explain some of the principles that show just society’s vision in general
and offer some approach to attain just society. These principles help in providing direction and
conclusion for policies and strategies being followed. This article will explain nine principles of
Catholic social thought such as Dignity of the human person, Common good and community,
Preferential option for the poor, Subsidiarity, Universal purpose of goods, Stewardship of
creation, Promotion of peace, Participation and Global solidarity. Besides this, article will also
explain the concepts of ‘self’ and ‘community’.
Principles of Catholic Social Thoughts (CST)
Principle of Dignity of the human person
Human dignity means a person or group of people intellect of self-worth and self-respect,
physical and mental reliability and empowerment. Foundation of teaching of catholic social is
belief in dignity of person. The dignity of human is the initial stage of an ethical vision for
society as life of human is blessed. Person is the copy of God’s image it is the main idea of this
principle. God is in every person and person is appearance of God. It shows that every human
should respect the dignity of other humans (Devitt, 2017).
Principle of Common Good and Community
The human person is equal holy and social. Through associating with other humans we
understand our self-respect and rights in the community. In community human achieve and grow
a lot by living and interacting with others and they can only understand their dignity when they
will make relations in the society. Human dignity and capacity will be affected by organization
of society such as in law and policy, in economics and politics. Loving the neighbor is a single
aspect for this it needs a commitment towards society. All human should contribute towards the
benefit of the society (Catholic Charities Office for Social Justice. 2017).
Principle of Preferential option for the poor
Human should treat poor people kindly as it is the test of a society. Poor claims on the morality
of the nation. Public policies decisions should be identified properly to know its effect on poor.
Option for the poor is not oppositional slogan that create difference between different classes or
groups infect it explains the deficiency and helplessness of the poor injuries in the community.
To attain mutual goal in the society one of the important point is option for the poor. Special

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attention should be given to poor to attain a strong community (Center for social concerns.
2015).
Principle of Subsidiarity
To shape common goal, to defend human rights and to encourage human dignity this instrument
is used. To achieve goals by government it is important for all the people to contribute in the
political associations. Subsidiary principle states that government functions must be completed
at the bottom level potential as extended as they can be completed sufficiently. Higher level of
government should involve at that point when lower level of government cannot fulfil the
needsin the question (Stabile, S. J. 2006).
Principle of Universal purpose of Goods
All the workforces consume a right to useful work to decent and reasonable wages and to
harmless functioning situations. They possess the right that they can form and join any of the
unions but in the limits of the rights. No person is allowed to hold too much wealth when others
are begging for fulfilling the basic needs. Catholic teaching is against the approaches of
communist and statist economic. It also discards the idea that open market mechanically
produces justice. Open and competitive market are very useful instruments of the economic
system but we cannot rely entirely on this. Here comes the work of the state to see whether the
needs are being met or not (Paul, P. J. 2017).
Principle of Stewardship of creation
Goods are provided by God for the benefit of the society and they are also known as the gifts
from God. Social mortgage are present that guides us to the uses of the goods and it also states
our responsibilities towards protecting these goods as guardians and wardens, not as an operator
and customers. Our respects towards the creator is shown by the way we treat environment.
Principle of Promotion of Peace
Peace is said as a positive concept by Catholic teaching. There is not only the absence of war but
it also includes assurance and respect between peoples of same nation as well as for other
nations. Binding and alliance contracts are involve in this. Justice and peace share close bond in
Catholic teaching. Peace is called as the sweet fruit of justice but it is depend on the behavior of
the human beings (Catholic moral theology. 2013).

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Principle of Participation
It is a right of all the people of the society to participate in the cultural life, political and
economic. Minimum contribution is important of the community as it the essential request of
justice and human dignity’s necessity (Catholic social teaching. 2017).
Principle of Global solidarity
Nation is like a family. There are responsibilities of human towards racial, ideological
differences, cross national and economic. For justice it is our responsibility to work together.
Rights of people, nation, personal, economic, political and social rights should provide respect
and should be promoted. Development should be balanced it should not be like one side is
extremists of underdevelopment and other is super development. Collecting physical goods and
mechanical resources will be unacceptable if it will lack in providing respect to cultural, spiritual
and moral dimensions of human (Catholic social teaching. 2017).
Interrelationship between Self and Community
Interrelationship between the self and community is supported by the principles of Catholic
Social Thought. It is very common all over the world.
Social animal
Exact information is not available about the origin of the society but it known that man is the part
of this society. Man is a social animal by nature is was said by Aristotle (Scientific research.
2014). He explained this by saying that human do not live without the society and if he lives
them he is considered as God or beast. For welfare and existence he lives in the society. At all
the stages of his life he need society for survival. Physically and mentally he is supposed to live
in society.
Community
Community means relations common existences, men, stated their nature by making and re-
creating an organization that directs and controls their actions in many ways. Activities of human
are controlled by society and it is important for the success of life. Society is type of a system
which formulate authority’s procedure and control the behavior of human (American Catholic
University. 2017).
Self and Community- Interrelation
Human and society both cannot survive without each other. But there is possibility of conflicts
between human and society. Person can imagine about functions of social system that they are

CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHT 4
better at the time of having considerable control over every single members, but it is a mixed
approval for the followers of the system. It is a complex relation between self and community as
well as interesting (Scientific research. 2014).
Conclusion
In the conclusion it can be said that ‘Self’ and ‘Community’ are interrelated as both cannot life
without each other. Human follow the guidelines provided by the societies system and society
form guidelines for human. In relation with Self and Community different Catholic social
thought’s principles are also stated above such as: Dignity of the human person, Common good
and community, Preferential option for the poor, Subsidiarity, Universal purpose of goods,
Stewardship of creation, Promotion of peace, Participation and Global solidarity.

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References
American Catholic University. (2017). Self and Community: Exploring the anatomy of modern
society. Retrieved from:
http://www.acu.edu.au/about_acu/our_university/the_core/core_units/
self_and_community
Catholic Charities Office for Social Justice. (2017). Key principles of Catholic Social Teaching.
Retrieved from: https://www.google.co.in/url?
sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=15&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi_05Xc
hN7WAhVELo8KHe7PBawQFghqMA4&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cctwincities.org
%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F12%2FKey-10-Principles-of-CST_1-
pager.pdf&usg=AOvVaw27NdRqFCHZLXz1dxCuZ64u
Catholic moral theology. (2013). The promotion of peace. Retrieved from:
https://catholicmoraltheology.com/the-promotion-of-peace/
Catholic social teaching. (2017). Community and participation. Retrieved from:
http://www.catholicsocialteaching.org.uk/themes/community-participation/
Catholic social teaching. (2017). Solidarity. Retrieved from:
http://www.catholicsocialteaching.org.uk/themes/solidarity/
Center for social concerns. (2015). an introduction to the principles of Catholic Social Thought.
Retrieved from: https://www.google.co.in/url?
sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiT_9vqi
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thought&usg=AOvVaw1nbag_aJFp5pLEGKrl6rk2
Devitt, F. P. (2017). Principles of Catholic Social Teaching. Retrieved from:
http://cgcatholic.org.au/services-directory/councils-commissions/social-justice-
commission/principles-of-catholic-social-teaching/
Paul, P. J. (2017). The 10 Principles of Catholic Social Teaching. Retrieved from:
https://www.google.co.in/url?

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sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=9&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiT_9vqi
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Scientific research. (2014). Relation between Individual and Society. Open journal of social
science, 2(9).
Stabile, S. J. (2006). Basic principles of Catholic Social Thought. Retrieved from:
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/Review-Business/147098517.html